Indiana Jones: The Lost Ark
by Alice Meri Fox
Summary: I decided that i didn't like the fact that Indiana hooked up with Marion in the end of the fourth and last movie so I decided that I would give Indiana an assistant that he would fall for  instead.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Ok so this is my first posting so be nice to me please. Im only gonna say it once so here it is: I do not own Indiana Jones! I own Eva!

Indiana Jones led the way through the jungle with his assistant, Evangeline "Eva" Williams; the three men that acted as their hired help behind them, leading the mules.

Indiana was a 6'1" tall man, dark blond hair, blue/brown eyes, and a toned body. Handsome by all means.

Eva was shorter than him, coming up to 5'5". She was a relatively heavier woman but still had muscle enough to be considered toned. Her auburn hair matched her short temper and her ever-changing eyes would span the range of purple to red to ice gray depending on her mood.

One of the men tied up the mule to the trunk of a young tree and went ahead of them to clear a path through the un-traveled jungle. Taking out his machete he began to clear away some of the foliage surrounding a statue that was caved as a warning to intruders. He noticed the carving and screamed, causing bats to fly out of the carvings mouth. Only Eva looked back at him as he ran away before pressing on.

Indiana approached a tree with a small wooden dart sticking out o fits trunk. He plucked it from the bark and examined it for a moment, Eva watching over his shoulder. He rolled the tip in his fingers and dropped the dart to the ground. The remaining two men that stayed with them crouched to the ground and picked up the dart.

Satipo spoke. "The Hovitos are near." He rolled the tip and tasted the dew on his fingers before spitting and continued, "The poison is still fresh, three days." He looked cautiously over his shoulder as if to spot them. "They're following us."

Santanna took the dart form him and said, "If they knew we were here they would've killed us already," before dropping the dart to the ground before continuing after Indiana and Eva.

Indiana made his way to a near by pool and motioned for Eva to give him something. She delicately pulled put three pieces of a map from her back pocket and placed them in his outstretched hand. He looked at them as she crouched down by the water. There was a sound of a gun cocking behind both of them. Eva looked to her left and saw Satipo and immediately knew that it was Santanna. Indiana cocked his head to the right, spun around, uncoiled his whip and caught Santanna's hand, marking it in a lash. Santanna, stunned by the suddenness of the sting, dropped his gun into the water below and ran off.

Indiana calmly coiled his whip and continued through the forest. Eva caught up to him quickly with Satipo following. They spotted what was hoped as the mouth of a cave upon a hill and headed towards it quickly.

Upon reaching it Indiana turned around to face Eva and Satipo. He grabbed a bag from Eva's satchel and began filling it with dirt. "This is it," he said to her. " This is where Forrestal cashed in."

" A friend of yours?" Satipo spoke up.

" A competitor," Eva answered before Indiana continued, "He was good. He was very, very good."

"Senor, senorita… nobody's come out of there alive," Satipo said grabbing Indiana's arm before Indiana turned him around and took a torch from the pack while taking it off from him. "Please… do not risk the lady."

"I'm his assistant, I'm supposed to go with him." Eva's tone was sharp before she lit the torch and followed Indiana inside the cave.

Indiana made his way through some cobwebs, causing a few spiders to fall onto his back. Eva followed cautiously, having mild arachnophobia herself. Satipo followed noticing the spiders in the others backs. "Senor," was all he was able to get out before his voice left in fear.

Indiana looked at his back and the paled expression on Eva's face and brushed them off his back with his whip before he motioned for the others to the other two to turn around. They did so and he brushed the spiders off them as well. "You ok Eva?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks Indy." Her voice was shaky and light.

They continued out of the hallway into a different one before Indiana spoke his hand outstretched to stop Eva beside him. "Stop." He moved to the side of the wall before pointing at them with his whip before he continued, "Stay out of the light."

Satipo knelt against the other side as Indiana and Eva crawled underneath the light beams. Indiana helped Eva up before he cautiously put his hand in the light. A mere second after he did so a line of spikes shot out from either side of the walls with a corps on one side. Satipo screamed and whimpered in surprise before putting his hand in his mouth.

"Forrestal," Indiana muttered as Eva looked away from the body.

" Come on, we should continue on," was all she spoke.

The group continued on, making their way to a room with no floor but a branch extending across the ceiling as though it was put there as a way to get across. Indiana wrapped the tip of the whip around the branch and handed it to Eva, indicating that she go first. She swung across and swung the whip back. Indiana followed her and swung the whip back to Satipo. Satipo looked at the whip and the branch and followed the other two uncertainly. The branch carved into the wall at his weight and he almost fell into the spikes in the floor of the pit if not for Indiana's assistance in staying upright. Indiana took the whip from him and placed it in a nook in the wall for when they returned.

They continued into the temple room where the idol sat in the far back of the room. Satipo attempted to walk for it saying, "Let us hurry. There is nothing to fear here."

Indiana pulled him back and pinned him to a wall. "That's what scares me."

He let Satipo go, took an old torch from the wall, and knelt the ground, drawing the tip across the floor over a diamond shaped floor ornament. The tip caught on the dirt and moss that was growing on the ornament. Indiana pressed the tip of the torch into the ornament and the ornament sank an inch into the floor, triggering a poisoned dart to embed itself into the top of the torch.

He passed the torch to Satipo, standing and saying, "Stay here, both of you."

"If you insist, Senor" Satipo spoke with a smile.

"Be careful Indy." Eva was as serious as Indiana was.

Indiana carefully made his way to the idol. Satipo watched on as Eva hid her face in her hands, not wanting to watch her long time friend screw up and get hurt. Indiana reached the idol and squatted down to get a better look at it, before standing up and adjusting the weight of the bag of dirt. In a quick exchange, Indiana picked up the idol and replaced it with the bag.

Satipo let out a sigh of relief and Eva looked up to see Indiana smiling with the idol in his hand. Behind him the idols pedestal sank into the table holding it up. Eva pointed at it and Indiana turned around to see what was going on. The walls began to shake before they crumbled down around them.

Satipo ran our of the temple room. Eva stayed behind to watch Indiana step on what seemed like every diamond ornament releasing the darts from their places in the wall. Indiana reached the other side and Eva pulled him towards the room with no floor. Satipo already on the other side with the whip in his hands.

"Throw us the whip!" Indiana demanded with his free hand outstretched for it.

"Throw me the idol." Satipo looked behind him to see the stone door closing. Looking back at Indiana he said, "No time to argue. Throw me the idol. I throw you the whip."

Indiana looked conflicted about the exchange but threw the idol anyway. "Give me the whip!"

"Adios, senor," Satipo said dropping the whip to the ground and disappearing through the door.

Indiana took a few steps back and made his best running jump across the pit, barely catching the other side. He began reaching for an upturned root when Eva landed to the side of him fully on the ledge. She helped him from the ledge and they made their way after Satipo. They found him attached to the spikes from the light, a frightened expression on his face.

Indiana picked up the idol from the ground and passed by the new corps, pulling Eva behind him and saying, "Adios, Satipo."

The two continued their way through the halls but stopped when they heard the mechanics of the large stone ball that was now running towards them. They ran for the exit, only looking back a few times and stumbling by doing so. The y reached the mouth of the cave and rolled down the hill just before the stone ball covered its mouth, effectively blocking any further entrance or exit.

When they sat up the Hovitos people and their drawn arrows surrounded them. Santanna's body fell in front of them showing that he had been killed by many of the darts. A man stepped over his body and closer to Indiana and Eva, before kneeling over them in a menacing manner.

"Doctor Jones." The pair looked up to see the face of an unwanted person. "Again we see there is nothing you can possess which I cannot take away." Belloq said holding out his hand to Indiana. "And you thought I had given up."

Indiana took his gun out of its holster and put it in his hand. "You still haven't got my good assistant."

"And I shall not give up on her until I have. You chose the wrong friends. This time, it will cost you." Belloq held out his hand again, waiting for the idol.

Indiana took the idol out of his jacket. "Too bad the Hovitos don't know you the way I do, Belloq," he said placing it into his open hand.

"Yes, too bad." Belloq took the idol and examined it. "You could warn them, if only you or your lovely assistant, spoke Hovitos." He turned around and spoke to the Hovitos people, who kneeled before the raised idol.

Indiana and Eva ran off in the direction they came, not looking back until they heard the yells of the people behind them.

"JOCK!" Indiana yelled to a fisherman standing on a pontoon plane fishing. "START THE ENGINES! GET IT UP!"

Eva continued running till she grabbed a vine from a tree and swung onto the plane, looking back only to see that Indiana had missed the plane and was now swimming for it. The Hovitos people were behind him, blowing into their dart guns. Indiana caught the tail of the pontoon and climbed up to the forward passenger seat. Getting in he pulled Eva to sit on his lap so her feet were hanging out one side and her head was towards the other.

They took off and continued home. After a few minuets of flying Indiana felt something slither past his leg. He moved Eva's legs up and found a snake making its way through his legs. He turned to Jock and yelled over the engines. "There's a big snake in the plane, Jock!"

"Oh, that's just my pet snake Reggie!" Jock yelled back.

"I hate snakes, Jock! I hate 'em!"

"Come on! Show a little backbone, will ya? Just concentrate on the fact that you have a beautiful woman on your lap."

"I'm just his assistant." Eva yelled back taking Reggie and feeding it back to the pilot's cockpit.

An: Wow, I spent two and a half hours working on this with the movie running in the background. I can't think straight. AND my cat is snoring loud enough for me to hear her in the other room cross the house. I think I should go to bed don't you? Reviews appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

The Lost Ark

Eva sat in the empty lecture hall with some of Indiana's documents for his next hour's lecture. As his assistant it gave her plenty of time to take care of some of her letter writing. This one was going to Marion Ravenwood, her old professors' daughter. As she sealed up the letter in an envelope Indiana, Marcus Brody and two men that she did not know entered the lecture hall.

"Yes, Doctor Jones, we've heard a great deal about you." The larger of the mystery men was saying as they entered.

"Have you?" Indiana sounded uninterested and distracted as he went preparing for his lecture.

"A professor of archaeology, expert on the occult, and, uh, how does one say it? Obtainer of rare antiquities." The man continued walking behind Eva. "And Doctor Williams, another famous archaeologist and expert."

"That's one way of saying it." Eva said standing and gestured to the other chairs. "Why don't sit down? You'll be more comfortable."

The men thanked her and sat down before the thinner man spoke. "Yes, the two of you are a pair of many talents."

"Now, you both studied under Professor Ravenwood at the University of Chicago," The larger man spoke again making it sound more like a question than a statement.

"Yes, we did. That was where we met." Indiana spoke and Eva nodded her agreement.

"Neither of you have no idea of his present whereabouts?"

"Uh… well, just rumors, really. Somewhere in Asia, I think," Indiana said turning to look at Marcus for confirmation, who nodded before he continued. "I haven't really spoken to him for ten years. We were friends, but, uh… we had a bit of a falling out, I'm afraid."

"I keep in touch with his daughter from time to time but she never talks about him," Eva spoke up beside him. Indiana looked at Eva in minute surprise. He had no idea that she still talked to Marion.

"Doctors, now, you must understand that this is all strictly confidential, eh?"

Indiana looked at Eva and nodded. "We understand."

The thinner man cleared his throat and looked around cautiously before continuing. "Yesterday afternoon, our European sections intercepted a German communiqué that was sent from Cairo to Berlin. Now, to Cairo…"

The other man cut him off saying, "See, over the last two years, the Nazis have had teams of archaeologists running around the world looking for all kinds of religious artifacts. Hitler's a nut on the subject. He's crazy. He's obsessed with the occult. And, right now, apparently, there's some kind of German archaeological dig going on in the desert outside of Cairo."

The other man took out a file folder from his briefcase and placed it on the table and continued. "Now, we've got some information here, but we can't make anything out of it, and maybe one of you can. "Tanis development proceeding. Acquire headpiece, Staff of Ra. Abner Ravenwood, U.S."" he finished reading from the file.

Indiana knocked hard on the table before turning to Eva who had fallen stunned back into her chair. "The Nazis have discovered Tanis."

"Oh, hell," was all she could reply with.

"Just what does that mean to you, this, uh, Tanis?" One of the men asked.

Marcus began to speak before Indiana cut him off. "The city of Tanis is one of the possible resting places of the Lost Ark."

"The Lost Ark?"

"The Ark of the Covenant. The chest the Hebrews used to carry around the Ten Commandments," Eva explained.

"What do you mean "commandments"? You're talking about the Ten Commandments?"

"Yes, the actual Ten Commandments." Indiana stepped in. "The original stone tablets that Moses brought down out of Mount Horeb and smashed, if you believe in that sort of thing."

Eva looked at the confused faces of the men across from her and said, "Any of you guys ever go to Sunday school?" The men began to speak but she cut them off again. "Look, the Hebrews took the broken pieces and put them in the Ark. When they settled in Canaan, they put the Ark in a place called the Temple of Solomon, in Jerusalem, where it stayed for many years. Until, all of a sudden, whoosh, it was gone."

"Where?" One of the men asked cutting off her explanation.

"Well, nobody knows where or when." Indiana answered.

Marcus spoke next. "However, an Egyptian pharaoh, Shishak, invaded the city of Jerusalem right about 980 BC, and he may have taken the Ark back to the city of Tanis and hidden it in a secret chamber called the Well of Souls."

"Secret Chamber?"

"However," Marcus continued, "about a year after the pharaoh would return to Egypt, the city of Tanis was consumed by the desert in a sandstorm which lasted a whole year. Wiped clean by the wrath of God."

The men nodded and looked at each other. "Obviously, we've come to the right people. Now you seem to know all about this Tanis, then."

"No, no, not really." Indiana looked away in remembrance. "Ravenwood is the real expert."

"Abner did the first serious work on Tanis," Eva put in.

"Collected some of its relics. It was his obsession, really," Indiana said turning back to the group. Eva put a comforting hand on his arm, knowing all about his fathers' obsession with the Holy Grail. "But he never found the city."

"Frankly, we're somewhat suspicious of Mister Ravenwood. An American being mentioned so prominently in a secret Nazi cable." The larger men spoke.

"Oh, rubbish." Marcus spoke. "Ravenwood's no Nazi."

"Well, what do the Nazis want him for, then?"

"Well, obviously, the Nazis are looking for the headpiece to the Staff of Ra and they think Abner's got it." Indiana gestured to the file contents.

"What exactly is a headpiece to the Staff of Ra?"

"Well, the staff is just a stick, about as tall as me," Eva said gesturing to her 5'5" self. "Nobody really knows for sure how high."

"It's capped with an elaborate headpiece…" Indiana continued flipping the chalkboard over and drawing on the clean slate. "In the shape of the sun, with a crystal in the center. And what you did was you take the staff to a special room in Tanis, a map room with a miniature of the city, all laid out on the floor. And if you put the staff in a certain place, at a certain time of day, the sun shone thorough here and made a beam that came down on the floor here and gave you the exact location to the Well of the Souls."

"Where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, right?" the thinner one asked.

"Which is exactly what the Nazis are looking for," Eva said, pointing to him like he had gotten something right.

"What does this Ark look like?"

"Oh! There's a picture of it in this book right here." Eva pulled a large volume that was going to be used in the days lecture and flipped through its pages before handing the book over to the men. "That's it."

The two men and Marcus looked over the book at once to see the picture of suffering people and a box being carried upon a small hill. "Good God."

"Yes, that's just what the Hebrews thought."

"Now, what's that supposed to be coming out of there?" the thinner man asked pointing to the yellow streaks that were "emitting" from the Ark.

"Lightning…" Indiana said simply. "Fire… power of God or something."

"I'm beginning to understand Hitler's interest in this."

"Oh, yes," Eva popped in. "The Bible speaks of the Ark leveling mountains, and laying waste to entire regions. An army which carries the Ark before it… is invincible." She finished looking up at Indiana.


	3. Chapter 3

Going After Marion

Eva pulled some of Indiana's things from his dresser saying, "Lord knows, you can't pack worth anything, Indy."

"Well, that's what I have you for, isn't it?" he said walking around making sure everything else was in order,

"And what if one time I'm not here? Will you actually do it right by yourself? I might die of shock if that ever happens." She placed his things neatly in his traveling bag as the doorbell rang. "You know, they haven't said "yes" yet."

"Well that'll be Marcus now telling us to go for it won't it," Indiana said striding out of the room to answer the door Eva following him. Indiana opened the door and Marcus stepped in with a Cheshire grin on his face. "You did it, didn't you?"

Marcus chuckled and said disbeleivingly, "They want the two of you to go for it."

"Oh, Marcus!" Eva said happily giving him a hug before Indiana ushered him into the front room.

"They want you to get ahold of the Ark before the Nazis do and they're prepared to pay handsomely for it."

"And the Museum?" Indiana asked quickly. "The museum gets the Ark when we're finished?"

"Oh, yes." Marcus said splendidly. Indiana held out his hand to his friend and they shook jovially.

Indiana picked up a wine bottle that was already open and poured some into a glass saying, "The Ark of the Covenant."

"Nothing else has come close," Marcus said taking the glass.

"That thing represents everything we got into archaeology for in the first place," Eva said picking up her empty glass for Indiana to fill before they toasted to it.

"You know, five years ago, I would've gone after it myself." Marcus stated enviously. "I'm really rather envious of the two of you."

"We've got to locate Abner. I think I know where to start," Indiana said pulling out his adventure gear for Eva to pack last. "Suppose she'll still be with him?"

"Possibly, but…" Marcus cut off Eva.

"Marion's the least of your worries right now, believe me, Indy."

Indiana and Eva turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean that for nearly 3000 years, man has been searching for the Lost Ark," he explained seriously. "Not something to be taken lightly. No one knows its secrets. It's like nothing either of you've ever gone after before."

Indiana laughed and slapped Marcus on the back when passing. "Oh, Marcus. What are you trying to do, scare me? You sound like my mother. We've known each other for a long time. I don't believe in magic, a lot of superstitious hocus-pocus. Neither does Eva."

"He's right, I don't," she shrugged.

"We're going after a find of incredible historical significance. You're talking about the bogeyman." Indiana walked back with a gun warped in a cloth. "Besides you know what cautious people we both are." He unraveled the gun and gently handed it to Eva to pack.

The next day Indiana and Eva boarded a plane to Nepal, one of the attendants greeting them as they walked up to enter the air craft. Taking seats next to each other, they looked at their fellow travelers and out the window to observe the weather. Indiana leaned back in his chare and tilted his hat over his eyes while Eva pulled a book out of her bag for the long flight.

When they touched down in Nepal Indiana woke first, noticing that sometime during the night Eva had fallen asleep on his shoulder, her book lying carelessly on the floor. Indiana carefully shifted Eva into his arms and shook her awake. "Hey, Eva. Time to wake up, we're there."

Eva blinked her calm yet tired light pale green eyes looking up at him drowsily, sparking with a hint of blue excitement. "Already? I only got through one chapter of my book," she said picking said object of the floor.

"Well, then you must have fallen asleep fairly early. Now come on, we gotta get changed and you get to lead the way." Indiana helped her up and out the plane, neither noticing the sinister character that followed behind them.

Eva led the way into the bar that Marion owned, ordered a drink from the bar, and walked into the group that surrounded the middle table just as Marion slapped her drink down onto the tabletop proudly. Her opponent was a heavily inebriated man that was probably going to pass out some time soon. He shakily grabbed his last drink on the table, slowly drank it down, and set it back on the table before passing out.

The group that surrounded them rapidly exchanged money and Marion, yelled out that it was closing time. As everyone left Eva just stood there. "That doesn't mean me, does it? I did come all this way just to see you after all."

"Evangeline Williams, what in the hell are you doing here?" Marion turned to her long time friend and confidant.

"Hello, Marion." Indiana popped up behind Eva.

"Indiana Jones," Marion said putting her hands on her hips as Indiana walked closer with a smile on his face. "Always knew, someday, you'd come walking back through my door." Eva backed away from the ex-lovers as she saw a familiar glint in Marion's eye as she continued. "I never doubted that. Something made it inevitable. So, what are you doing here in Nepal?"

Indiana looked away from her for a moment saying, "I need one of the pieces your father collected." When he looked back he was greeted with a fist to the face,

"Saw that comin'," Eva said, sipping her drink from the other side of the room.

"I learned to hate you in the last ten years." Marion walked in front of him to the bar to grab a serving tray.

"I never meant to hurt you."

"I was a child. I was in love. It was wrong and you knew it!" she yelled at him.

"You knew what you were doing."

"Now I do! This is my place. Get out!" she threw her thumb behind her and told the hired help to leave for home.

"I did what I did," he said leaning up against the bar. "You don't have to be happy about it, but maybe we could help each other out now." Marion walked to the table the drinking game had commenced on and began to clean up the shot glasses. "We need one of the pieces your father collected. Bronze piece, about this size," he held up his hands in a circle, continuing, "with a hole in it, off-center with a crystal. You know the one I mean?"

"Yeah. I know it." She flew around him with the tray in her hands back to the bar.

"Where's Abner?" Indiana asked as Marion began putting the glasses behind the bar. "Where's Abner?" he repeated.

Marion sighed sadly. "Abner's dead."

Indiana looked away, shocked and appalled, before he stood next to her by the bar, Eva standing on her other side. "Marion, I'm sorry."

Marion took comfort in the fact that Eva hadn't said anything, just slipped her arms around the younger woman's waist in a gentile comforting and motherly hug for her loss. "Do you know what you did to me, to my life?"

"I can only say I'm sorry so many times," Indiana said harshly.

Eva gave him a glare as Marion ripped away from the embrace, spilling her glasses to the floor behind the bar saying, "Well, say it again, anyway," before going back to the table to pick up more glasses.

"Sorry." He said sarcastically.

"Yeah, everybody's sorry. Abner was sorry for dragging me all over this earth looking for his little bits of junk. I'm sorry to still be stuck in this dive. Everybody's sorry for something."

"It's a worthless bronze medallion, Marion. You going to give it to me?"

"Maybe. I don't know where it is."

"Well, maybe you could find it." He took a wad of cash out of his pocket. "3000 bucks."

"Well, that will get me back but not in style," she said walking back to the bar.

"I can get you another two when we get to the States. It's important Marion. Trust me." Marion attempted to hit him but he caught her hand and put the money into it. "You know the piece I mean? Do you know where it is?"

Marion looked at the wad of cash and back to Indiana, laughing. "Come back tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because I said so that's why." She pulled her hand back and went to sir on the table, pulling Eva with her. She scoffed as he walked out and said, "See you tomorrow, Indiana Jones."

He looked back at the two and then quickly left, shutting the door behind him. Eva leaned over to Marion. "I have to say, that was actually kinda fun to watch."

"Yeah, I'm just glad you didn't say much. I might have blown up at you, I don't wanna do that."

"I know. So, now about that medallion we're looking for. You know, the one around your neck?"

"Why does he need it?" Marion pulled the medallion out from under her shirt and looked at it.

"Top secret, hush-hush." Eva shrugged as Marion placed it on the table. "Can't tell you much. We need it to find something important before other people do."

Marion stood up and made her way over to the bar to place her money into a box on top of it. A few seconds later the door to the bar opened revealing the sinister character that had followed Indiana and Eva.

He stepped in side with three other men and spoke in a German accent. "Good evening, Fraulein."

Marion looked at them dully. "The bar's closed."

"We…We are… not thirsty." He and his goons walked in closer.

"What do you want?" Eva spoke up from the table.

"The same thing you want my dear."

"A quiet drink?" Eva spouted sarcastically.

"Surly he told you there would be other interested parties." The man turned his attention back to Marion while still walking closer to her.

"Must've slipped his mind," she said with a cigarette hanging from her lips before lighting it.

"The man is… nefarious. I hope for your sake he has not yet acquired it."

"Why you willing to offer more?"

"Oh, almost certainly. Do you still have it?"

Marion blew smoke into his face, "No," she replied before going behind the bar. "But I know where it is. Hey, how bout a drink for you and your men?"

The man walked towards the fireplace and took his gloves off, saying, "Your fire is dying here." He knelt down to the pit and stoked it. "Why don't you tell me where the piece is right now?"

"Listen, Herr Mac…" she began with false bravado. "I don't know the kind of people you're used to dealing with, but nobody tells me what to do in my place."

The man chuckled. "Fraulein Ravenwood, let me show you what I am used to." He gave a command and the guy behind Marion pushed her over the bar and then pulled her back into a more painful restraint. "Take your hands off of me!" she struggled to get away. "Take your lousy hands off!"

Un-noticed by Eva a man was also standing behind her perch on the table and was grabbed as well. Eva watched help less as the man turned around with the red-hot poker in his hand and headed for Marion.

Marion began to panic and plead. "Wait a minuet. Wait, I… I can be reasonable.'

"That time has passed."

"You don't need that." She whimpered. "Wait… I'll tell you everything."

"Yes," he said getting close to her face with the poker. "I know you will."

He was a bout to press the poker to her face when the crack of a whip and a force knocked it out of his hands, pilling it towards the curtains. Indiana stood there and both girls were brought to serve as shields for the men. "Let them go," Indiana said brandishing his gun.

There was a pause where no one moved when the drapes caught fire. The sound of a gun cocking was enough to get things going. Indiana shot the man holding the semi-auto machine gun. Eva and Marion escaped their captors' holds, and dived behind the bar Eva Picking up her gun and systematically taking the other guys out before getting shot herself.

"Eva!" the yell came from both Marion who had seen her fall and Indiana who had watched her get shot while shooting at the fire pit to set fire to the spilled alcohol.

Eva passed her gun to Marion. "Well, don't just sit there, get shooting!"

Marion attempted to fire the gun. "It's out!"

Eva swore under her breath and passed a flaming log to her instead. "Try this then."

Marion crouched under the bar just as a bullet whizzed through the air, through a barrel of ale, missing her by inches. She took a bravery gulp and proceeded into the back of the bar where the man was more preoccupied about what was in front of him. She knocked him out with the first blow to his head. Indiana had been knocked from his place at the door and was now laying face first over the bar with a line of fire headed towards him.

"Whisky," he asked her.

Marion looked over her shoulder, spotted the whisky, and handed it to him. He broke it on the head of his attacker and they began fighting for his gun. The sinister stalker spoke, "Shoot them. Shoot them both."

This drew Indiana's attention away from the fact that he was being strangled. He and the man he was fighting with pointed at the man who was given the order and shot him. And continued fighting over the gun.

Eva saw the sinister stalker reach down to the floor and pick up the hot medallion with his bare hand. He screamed from the heat but seemed determined to keep it in his hand until she was sure that the face of the medallion was seared into his hand before he dropped it back into the fire. He ran screaming out the door, past Indiana who was still having problems.

Indiana managed to burn the guys hand to let go of the gun, and eventually knocked him out. He turned around to find the thug Marion had knocked out had regained consciousness and was pointing a pistol right at him. A gunshot sounded through the remains of the bar and Indiana flinched assuming he was shot. He looked over at the man and saw that he had been shot instead, Eva holding the gun that killed him.

"Someone wanna help me out of here?" she called over the fire cackling.

Indiana picked her up and helped her outside as Marion scrambled to collect her medallion. "Well, Jones, at least you haven't forgotten how to show a couple ladies how to have good time!" Eva yelled over the fire and the wind.

"Boy, you're something!" He yelled to both of the women, as he was busy tying up Eva's torso where she'd been shot.

"Yeah, I'll tell you what. Until I get back my $5000, you're gonna get more than you bargained for." Marion yelled at him.

"What?"

"I'm your goddamn partner!" She held up the medallion in her handkerchief.


	4. Chapter 4

The Streets of Cairo

The flight from Nepal to Egypt was a decently long one. They boarded the flight early in the morning after the night of the fire. Eva sat near the isle while Marion sat by the window, leaving Indiana in the middle of the two sleeping women attempting to decide which to wake up first. Marion awoke before a decision could be made.

"Afternoon," he said to her as she stretched her back out.

"We almost there?"

"Almost, not long. We'll have to change when we land before we head over to Sallah's place."

"Well, wake her up then."

"I'm working on it. She _is_ still in a decent amount of pain."

"She's going to have to wake up some time."

Eva jumped awake. "I'm up." She looked around for a moment bleary eyed. "What were we talking about?"

"Waking you up," Indiana

"Oh… Am I still asleep?"

"No."

"Then why are we still talking about it?"

Indiana chuckled as the plane made ready for its final decent to Cairo. Once landed the trio changed into white breathable clothing that would keep them cool in the desert heat. Sallah met them at the airport and took them to his home where they settled in and regrouped with Feyah and the children on the roof.

"Cairo," Sallah spoke to Marion who had never been there, "City of the living."

"And a paradise on earth," Eva said sitting by the children as they laughed and giggled.

"Silence!" Feyah strode over to her offspring with a wine decanter. "Why do you forget yourselves?" she spotted a monkey playing with the fruit basket centerpiece on the table the children surrounded. "What is this? Where did this animal come from?"

The monkey played with a cup of juice, knocking it over. "Oh… oh no," Marion said as Eva took the cup to set it up straight. The monkey jumped up onto Eva's shoulder and she gave a cry of surprise.

"Oh! Cute," She said uncertainly as it roamed her shoulders. "What an adorable creature." The children continued laughing as the monkey played in her loose hair.

"Then it shall be welcome in our house."

"No, you don't have to keep it here just because of me."

"Relax, Eva, It's just a monkey. Be thankful it's not a spider," Indiana said as the children dispersed and took Marion and the monkey to play with them. He took the seat next to her as Sallah sat on her other side. "I knew the Germans would hire you, Sallah. You're the best digger in Egypt."

"My services are entirely inconsequential to them. They have hired or shanghaied every digger in Cairo. The excavation is enormous. They hire only strong backs and they pay pennies for them." He sighed as Feyah poured wine.

"It sounds as if the pharaohs have returned," Eva commented taking sip.

"When did they find the map room?" Indiana cut into an apple from the fruit basket.

"Three days ago. They have not one brain among them. Except one. He is very clever. He's a French archaeologist."

Indiana and Eva looked at each other having the same thought before Indiana spoke. "What's his name?"

"They call him "Bellosh"."

Indiana sat back in his chair and chuckled sarcastically as Eva just shook her head before saying quietly, "Why does it have to be him?"

"Belloq. Belloq."

"The Germans have a great advantage over us. They are near to discovering the Well of Souls."

"Well, they're not going to find it without this," Indiana said taking the headpiece out of his pocket and handing it to Sallah.

"Who can tell us about the markings?" Eva spoke up as her godson came to sit in her lap.

"Perhaps a man I know can help us." Sallah said looking closely at the headpiece. "Indy… Eva… there is something that troubles me."

"What is it?"

"The Ark. If it is there, at Tanis, then it is something that man was not meant to disturb. Death has always surrounded it. It is not of this earth.

The conversation turned to a lighter mood before Sallah suggested that the visiting trio walk around the city and explore it some. Feyah found some clothes for Marion to where and the three were off with the monkey on Eva's shoulders.

"Do we need the monkey, huh?" Indiana complained as it tried to steal yet another date from him.

"I'm surprised at you, Jones, talking about your baby that way," Marion commented as she pated it on the head.

"Mine and Eva's," his tone was skeptical at the thought but it was not entirely unpleasant.

"He's got your looks, too," Eva said as it nuzzled into her face.

"And your brains," Indiana said to Eva holding out a hand before she fell over.

"Oops!" Marion just about fell to the ground. "You know I noticed that. She's a smart little thing. Smart."

Eva laughed as they turned the corner to another road and the monkey ran off. "Hey, where you going?"

Marion looked for the little monkey on the street with her before Indiana put a cloth filled with dates between them. "She'll be alright, you two. Have a date." Eva looked at them and then back at the road taking one as Indiana pulled her arm. "Come on. Come on, Marion."

"What's this?" Marion held up her date in question.

"It's a date. You eat 'em." Indiana said pulling Eva along past the unknown watching eyes.

"How come the two of you haven't found some nice person to settle down with, raise eight or nine kids, like your friend Sallah?" Marion asked Eva and Indiana.

"Well who says we haven't?" Eva asked eating another date.

Marion laughed. "I do. Dad had the both of you figured a long time ago. He said you were a bum, Jones."

"Oh, he's being generous," Eva said laughing.

"The most gifted bum he ever trained." Marion continued. "But that Eva was the smart one beneath it all. You know, he loved you both like children. It took a hell of a lot for you to alienate him."

"Not much just you," Indiana said. He stood beside the girls as they stopped at a market vendor. Looking over their heads he dropped the things he was carrying for them causing Marion to drop to the ground to pick them up.

Eva looked to her left and saw what had startled Indiana. Black Scarves. She moved out of the way before one of the men could grab her and hit him over the head with a pan from the stall, knocking him out.

She and Indiana began to fend them off from Marion who had taken Eva's pan and began to disorientate the men that attempted to come after her.

Indiana pulled Marion away from the task to face him. "Marion, get out of here." He spotted a man come up from behind her and pushed her head down. "Duck!" he punched the man in the face and threw Marion into Eva knocking them both to the ground. Eva helped Marion up and was pulled by Indiana to a hay wagon, where he threw them both in and snapped his whip at the two Black Scarves that had followed them.

The snap of the whip caused the horse pulling the wagon to move. It pulled Eva and Marion to a different square and the two jumped off and attempted to get back to Indiana but were stopped by a man. Marion grabbed a frying pan from a nearby stall before noticing the man had a knife. "Right," she said running away.

Eva led the way through the streets until she ducked into an open door, Marion following close behind. Just as they entered the man chasing them came in and Marion knocked him over the head with the frying pan, knocking him out. Eva pulled him inside and the two women ran to find cover.

Marion looked around the corner and then pointed to the baskets beside them. They hopped into the baskets and put the covers on them just before the German men ran past them. The monkey that had adopted Eva crawled on top of the lids and screeched at the Germans.

Eva lifted her lid to look at the monkey. "No, no. Shh, shh. Quiet, please." Too late. The Germans had found them.

Indiana ran to the wagon that he had left the girls in. "Eva! Marion!" Standing on top of the wagon wheel he looked for them above the crowd. Attempting to back track the girls the crowed parted for him. In front of was an expert Black Scarf swordsman who attempted to intimidate Indiana with his skills. Indiana decided that he had, had enough of the Black Scarf and shot him.

Over the cheers of the crowd Indiana heard Eva's voice. "INDIANA JONES!" he noticed two woven baskets carried between four men. Eva's hand hung out from one of the lids. "Indy! We're over here!"

Following the men that carried the baskets he heard Marion cry out, "You can't do this to me. I'm an American!" The men carried the baskets to the laundry market. Indiana lost them in the crowd of baskets and began toppling them over. Another cry for help and he found the right baskets being carried out the other side of the square. He followed them past more streets and almost caught up to them before a German fired a machine gun across his toes. Backing up to the corner he was set upon by beggars. He threw some money away from him to placate them and heard the Germans telling the driver to move the truck forward.

He rounded the corner a second time and shot the driver as the truck passed. The driver slumped forward and the truck continued to move up a slope and fell to its side. Just as Indiana turned to follow it the truck exploded, causing Indiana to turn around to protect himself.

Turning back to face the burning wreckage that was once a truck his mind only thought one word: _"Evangeline."_


	5. Chapter 5

The Bad Man and the Old Man

Indiana sat at a table in a street bar with the little monkey that had clinged to Eva earlier. It seemed as though the monkey had understood his loss and was attempting to cheer him up. 'How is it that I never told her?' Indiana voiced his thought to the monkey who grabbed his hand and cuddled it. This made Indiana smile slightly before two men approached him.

"Doctor Jones." One man said before continuing in German. "Our employer would like to have a talk with you. If you would follow us now."

Indiana picked up the monkey and the open bottle, placed the monkey on his shoulder, and headed into the enclosed bar area. He approached an Arab and asked, "You looking for me?" The Arab laughed and turned away from him. Indiana continued to look around for who could be the Germans employer. He felt eyes on his back and turned around. "Belloq."

"Good afternoon, Doctor Jones." Belloq sat at a table drinking and smoking.

"I ought to kill you right now."

"Not a very private place for a murder."

"Well, these Arabs don't care if we kill each other. They're not going to interfere in our business."

Belloq looked at him slightly offended. "It was not I who brought the girls into this business. Please sit down before you fall down." He indicated the chair next to him. "We can at least behave like civilized people." Indiana thumped his bottle onto the table before taking the offered seat. The monkey climbed down his arm and ran away. "I see your taste in friends remains consistent."

"Are you trying to make a joke at Eva's expense?"

Belloq ignored him. "How odd that it should end this way for us, after so many stimulating encounters. I almost regret it. Where shall I find a new adversary so close to my own level?"

"Try the local sewer. Eva always believed that, that was where you belonged anyway."

Belloq chuckled. "You and I are very much alike. Archaeology is our religion, yet we have both fallen from the purer faith. Our methods have not differed as much as you pretend. I am a shadowy reflection of you. It would take only a nudge to make you like me, to push you out of the light."

"Now you're getting nasty."

Belloq nodded, smiled, and said, "You know it's true. How nice. Look at this." He picked up a pocket watch from the table. "It's worthless. Ten dollars from a vendor in the street. But I take it, I bury it in the sand for a thousand years, and it becomes priceless… like the Ark. Men will kill for it. Men like you and me."

"What about your boss, der Fuehrer? I thought he was waiting to take possession."

"All in good time. When I'm finished with it. Jones, do you realize what the Ark is? It's a transmitter. It's a radio for speaking to God. And it's within my reach."

Indiana looked at him as though he was going to be sick. "You want to talk to God? Let's go see Him together. I've got nothing better to do." He pushed the table back and reached for his gun.

As the Arabs pulled out their guns, Sallah's children came into the bar and surrounded Indiana. "Uncle Indy, come back home now!"

The Arabs began laughing. Belloq looked amused. "Next time, Indiana Jones, it will take more than children to save you," he said as the children escorted Indiana out, on the way the monkey climbed back onto Indiana's shoulder.

Sallah was waiting outside for them. "I thought I would find you there. Better than the United States Marines, eh?"

The children began climbing into the back of the truck as Indiana put the monkey into the cab. The Arabs came out with their guns to see them off. "Eva and Marion are dead," Indiana said into Sallah's ear.

"Yes, I know," he said solemnly. "I'm sorry. Life goes on, Indy. There is the proof." He gestured to his children. "I have much to tell you." He placed his hand on Indiana's shoulder. "First we will take them home, and then I will take you to the old man."

Indiana stared out the window of the old man's home, listening to the music. He remembered the last time that he and Eva were in Egypt to see Sallah and his family. They had been invited to celebrate with Sallah for the birth of his last son. Feyah had taken Eva away a good three hours before the celebrations were to begin to get her ready.

When the party began Feyah and Sallah were the first to be presented as the parents of the child. Then came the godparents of the child. Indiana was still looking for Eva as she was announced as the child's godmother. She had been wrapped in brown Egyptian cotton and red Baghdad silks and carried, Adli, the babe between herself and Abu, the child's godfather.

Indiana had never before thought that Eva was an ugly woman, but her looking like that; he never thought he would ever see anything more beautiful. That night had ended with the both of them helping each other, drunk and laughing back to their beds to pass out.

Of course the next morning she woke him up at the crack of dawn, telling him he had to get up or she would leave without him but with all his things. From experience with her threats he got up.

He sighed and moved away from the window, hopping to rid her from his mind. "I can't figure out how Belloq did it," he spoke to Sallah. "Where'd he get a copy of the headpiece? There are no pictures, no duplicates of it anywhere."

"I tell you only what I saw with my own eyes: a headpiece like that one, except round the edges, which were rougher. In the center, the Frenchman had embedded a crystal, and… and surrounding the crystal, on one side, there were raised markings, just like that one."

Indiana picked up a date from the bowl. "They made their calculations in the map room?"

"This morning. Belloq and the boss German, Deitrich. When they came out of the map room, they gave us a new spot in which to dig, out away from the camp."

"The Well of Souls, huh?"

"Come, come, look." The old man called them over to him. "Look here… look. Sit down. Come, sit down."

"What is it?" Indiana asked sitting down next to the old man.

"This is a warning not to disturb the Ark of the Covenant."

"What about the height of the staff, though? Did Belloq get it off of here?"

"Yes. It is here." The old man ran his fingers over one side of the headpiece. "This were the old way, this mean six kadam high."

"About 72 inches," Sallah interjected.

"Wait!" said the old man, shushing him turning the headpiece around. "And take back one kadam to honor the Hebrew God whose Ark this is."

Indiana stood and walked away taking his glasses off and pointed to Sallah. "You said their headpiece only had markings on one side. Are you absolutely sure?" Sallah only nodded. "Belloq's staff is too long."

They spoke together in astonishment, "They're digging in the wrong place."

Sallah laughed and placed his hands on Indiana's shoulders and began singing happily. "I am the monarch of the sea."

Indiana looked down at the date he was holding. He held it up to heaven. "This find is for you, Eva," he said before throwing it in the air to catch in his mouth.

Sallah saw this and caught it in his hand before Indiana could. He looked at the dead monkey, showing Indiana. Nearby the monkey was a half-eaten date. "Bad dates," was all he needed to say.


	6. Chapter 6

The Dig and the Ark

Sallah and Indiana made their way across the dig looking as casual as possible. "Boy, they're not kidding, are they?" Indiana, garbed as a worker with a walking stick and their rope, walked behind Sallah who had a shovel. "What time does the sun hit the map room?"

"About nine in the morning," Sallah answered.

"Not much time, then. Where are they digging for the Well of the Souls?"

"On that ridge…" Sallah pointed, and then gestured ahead of them. "But the map room's over there."

"Let's go. Come on." Indiana picked up the pace. They climbed up the hill to the entrance to the map room and, subtly, Indiana made his way down. In front of him was a map to the city and a grid of holes; any one of them being the one that could hold the staff to show the location of the Ark.

Indiana cleared one line of text and found what he was looking for. He took out Eva's notebook that he had taken from her things to follow the instructions that she had written down when they were still working under Abner. After following the instructions, Indiana placed the headpiece on the staff and placed the staff into the slot. Then he waited for the sun to shine through the hole in the ceiling.

When he had found the Well of the Souls, he calculated the distances from the uncovered buildings, hid the headpiece within his robes, broke the staff into several pieces, and took one with him. Then he called for Sallah to put the rope down again. Instead he got the Nazi flag in his face.

After he had been pulled up, the men made their way back across the dig sight. They came to a mess area and German soldiers shouted at them to bring them things. Indiana hid his face, pretending not to understand, and Sallah ran behind their backs, asking them what they needed.

Indiana made his way into a tent and was greeted with the sight of Marion, tied up and gagged, but alive. He grabbed her head as she tried to defender herself. He pulled down the covering of his face and she looked relieved. "I thought you were dead. They must have switched baskets," he spoke as he untied the gag from around her head. He kissed her out of happiness, held her face, and then asked. "Are you hurt? Where's Eva?"

"I don't know, but you have to get me out of here, quick." She said desperately looking from side to side to try and watch what he was doing. "They're gonna be back at any minute. Cut me loose. Quick." Indiana pulled out a knife and reached behind her to cut her loose. "They keep asking about you. What you know." Indiana pulled back and thought for a moment, then looked at Marion closing his knife. "What's wrong? Cut me loose."

"I know where the Ark is, Marion."

"The Ark is here?" He nodded and she began to struggle. "I'm coming with you, Jones. Get me out of here! Cut me loose! You can't leave me here!"

"If I take you out of here now, they'll start combing the place for us."

"Jones, you've got to get me out of here! Come on, Jones, are you crazy?" she struggled more as the retied the gag.

"Marion, I hate to do this, but if you don't sit still and keep quiet, this whole thing is going to be shot." He moved some hair out of her face and said, "I'll be back to get you." He kissed her forehead and left.

He stood on a ridge with a mapping telescope. He followed the line the red refraction of the crystal had taken and found the Well of the Souls. He smiled to himself in astonishment. "That's it."

Indiana led a small digging crew up to the flat rock and observed the dig from the top. The crew began digging with him and Sallah. They had made significant progress as the sun set and after nightfall Sallah grabbed Indiana's attention away from a growing storm.

"Indy, here! We've hit stone!"

Indiana knelt down to the ground and pushed off some of the dirt. "Clear it off." He moved so the workers could do as told. "Come on, find the edges."

As the cover stone's edges were found Sallah spoke, "Good, good, good. You see Indy? You see?"

"Okay, bring the pry bars in."

"As a team boys. As a team."

"Push!"

The group lifted the slab up and moved it to the side. Indiana looked as though he was going to faint from the excitement. There were four statues of Sobek, the crocodile God of the Nile, which seemed to hold up the entrance of the Well of the Souls. Sallah and Indiana looked in and saw one of the statues. The lightning behind them illuminated the statue and scared Sallah. The lightning again showed the face and Sallah was that it was a statue.

"Sorry, Indy." The both of them looked at the floor and Sallah spoke again. "Indy, why does the floor move?"

"Give me your torch," Indiana said reaching for it with a look of terror on his face. He took it and dropped it into the chamber. Snakes slithered away from the fire. Indiana rolled onto his side looking as though he was about to be sick. "Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?"

Sallah crawled over to Indiana and looked into the chamber. "Asps." He said to the group of diggers. "Very dangerous." He continued looking to Indiana before grasping his forearm. "You go first."

Indiana looked at him like he was the son of the devil but complied. Sallah directed the workers as they lowered Indiana into the chamber. "Steadily. Steadily. Whoa! Down. Down. Whoa. Carefully, carefully! You all right, Indy?" Indiana didn't answer. "Now gently, boys. Gently, gently!"

Some of the workers lost their footing on the sand and Indiana dropped to the floor of the chamber, coming face to face with an asp.

"I told you it will be all right," Sallah yelled down happily.

Indiana said nothing as he made slow movements to stand. He then picked up a gas tank and called up, "Sallah, get down here!" Indiana burned a pathway over to the Ark's resting-place.

Sallah joined him in the chamber and they made their way over to the stone burial box that housed the Ark. He and Sallah used their strength to lift the top and sides and throw it onto the snakes, revealing the Ark to them.

Neither of them said anything as they inserted what would be the rests they used to transport the Ark on foot. They made their way back to the opening of the chamber where they placed it in a crate that would be brought up to the outside world.

Indiana placed the cover on the box and yelled up to the workers. "All right… Take it up!"

As they waited for the rope to be sent back down to them Sallah spoke. "Indy, the torches are burning out."

Indiana felt the rope hit his side and took the torch from Sallah. "Go on, get out of here."

When Sallah reached the opening of the chamber the other end of the rope he used to climb up was sent down to Indiana.


	7. Chapter 7

Getting Out and Finding Eva

"Sallah!"

"Hello!" Indiana looked up to see Belloq waving his hat in greeting. "Hello. Why, Doctor Jones, whatever are you doing in such a nasty place?"

"Why don't you come on down here? I'll show you."

"Thank you, my friend, but I think we are all very comfortable up here." Belloq laughed. "That's right, isn't it? Yes, we are all very comfortable up here." The Germans got closer. "So, once again, Jones, what was briefly yours is now mine. What a fitting end to your life's pursuits. You're about to become a permanent addition to this archaeological find. Who knows? In a thousand years, even you may be worth something."

Indiana laughed at his joke and looked away sarcastically. "Son of a bitch."

General Deitrich spoke next. "I'm afraid we must be going now, Doctor Jones. Our prize is awaited in Berlin. But I do not wish to leave you down in that awful place all alone."

"Slimy pig, you let me go!" Marion yelled to the German soldiers that carried her towards the entrance of the chamber. "Stop it!" And they did, throwing her into the chamber. She grabbed the mouth of one of the Sobek statues and held on for dear life.

"Marion!" Indiana called to her. "Hang on. Just don't fall!"

"Jones!"

"Marion, I got you! I got you! I got you!"

The tooth that Marion was holding onto gave away under her weight and she fell to the ground landing in Indiana's arms. "You traitor! You get your hands off of me!" She threw herself to the ground to come face to face with the same asp that Indiana had earlier. It hissed at her, she screamed and crawled onto Indiana's back. "Snakes! Oh, shit, oh, at your feet!"

Belloq reappeared at the opening to the chamber. "It was not to be, cherie."

"You bastards! I'll get you for this!" Marion yelled up at him.

"Indiana Jones… adieu." Belloq waved his hat and left as the slab over the chamber was replaced.

Indiana placed Marion onto her feet and crouched down in front of the asp. He grabbed the torch that lay near it. "Here. Take this. Wave it at anything that slithers."

"Thank you." She said taking it. "Oh, my God, this whole place is slithering." She turned to look at him. She saw his whip and thought it was a snake. "Jones!" she burned the "snake" and Indiana.

"Ow! Jesus!" he said jumping back.

"Where did you get this?" he gestured to the white dress she was now wearing. "From him?"

"I was trying to escape. No thanks to you."

"How hard were you trying?"

"Well, where the hell were you?"

"Watch it, watch it." He said tearing her dress apart to separate it from the burning cloth.

"What are you doing?"

"For the fire!" he stood up and threw the bundle of cloth to the side.

"How the hell are we going to get out of here?"

"I'm working on it! I'm working on it!" He said before spotting the back wall where all the snakes were coming through the holes in the wall.

"Well, whatever you're doing, do it faster." Indiana began to climb one of the statues, "Where are you going?"

"Through that wall. Just get ready to run, whatever happens to me."

"What do you mean by that? What would I tell Eva when I find her."

"The truth." He began climbing again with the torch in his mouth, using his whip as a climbing rope.

"Jones! Damn it! Don't you leave me down here by myself!" she continued to wave the flame at the snakes at her feet.

Indiana reached the mouth of the statue to find a snake resting in it. He burned it with the torch and it fell onto Marion. He threw down the extinguished torch and placed himself in a position to push the statue over. He pushed the statue over and through the wall.

Marion climbed over the statue to the hole in the wall to find it holding sarcophagi. "Jones?" she called out to the darkness turning a bar to come face to face with a mummy. She turned and ran about the room, facing mummy after mummy before Indiana came to get her.

"Marion. Look. Look." He led her to a smaller chamber where she saw sunlight.

A few minuets of pushing the rock he was finally able to move a large block. The new hole led them outside near the landing strip for a plane. They his behind some oil barrels.

"They're, going to fly it out of here." Indiana crouched down after looking over the top of the barrels. "When that Ark gets loaded, we're already going to be on the plane."

Indiana crawled up the tail of the plane in an attempt to sneak up on the pilot. An engineer discovered him. After knocking him out, he was found again by another soldier, this one taller with much more muscle. "Hey, you now… come here!"

Indiana turned around. "Come here!" the soldier had his fists ready for combat.

Indiana slid down the tail and attempted feign preparing to fight when he pointed to see something in the dust. The soldier looked down but moved before a kick could be landed, and moved again before a punch followed, turning slightly as Indiana moves across him. The soldier hit Indiana in the jaw with the first punch, knocking him into the dust.

The soldier picked him up and Indiana bit him in the arm, throwing him to the other side of the plane. Indiana attempted to go across the nose of the plane, but upon seeing the pilot with a gun, he thought better of it. He retreated towards the wheels to get a fist to the other side of his jaw and then another as he tried to hit the larger German, who knocked him back to the ground.

The pilot began to aim his gun for Indiana but stopped when the German stepped in front of him. Indiana stood up and threw sand into the Germans eyes, effectively blinding him. The pilot was taken out with the chocks that Marion had taken from one set of wheels. The pilot slumped over the controls and the plane began to move in a circle. Marion attempted to get him off the controls only to have the cockpit close and lock.

A truck carrying several men in the bed sped towards the plane. Marion noticed them and crawled to the automatic weapon that lay at the tail of the plane. She began shooting at the men, killing them effectively.

The wing of the plane hit a fueling pump and the pump began to leak gas onto the sand.

Indiana was thrown onto his back in front of the wheels. He moved in time but forgot his gun. The space between the wheels kept it from being smashed but as he went to grab it the German attacked him again.

Marion shot at one of the remaining members of the truck and hit a base of oil drums that was nearby him, blowing it up. Indiana nearly ran into the propeller, dodging back to miss it. The gas from the pump now spilled across the tarmac. The whole area was going to go up in flames.

Indiana jumped onto the plane in an attempt to rescue Marion, but the German followed him and knocked him off again. The gas seeped towards the flames. The German landed a few good hits before Indiana pulled back and let four good ones fly straight to his jaw.

The German was not knocked out and threw him to the ground with one good punch. He never saw the propeller coming from behind him. Indiana hid behind his arms and felt the blood seep through his jacket. When that was over with he picked up his gun and released Marion from the cockpit.

They ran before the plane blew up. Making it back to the camp was hard, waiting for Sallah to pass by was harder. When he did, Indiana whistled.

"Holy smoke, my friends, I… I'm so pleased you're not dead!" He took Indiana's hand as if to make sure he was real. "Indy, Indy, we have no time. If you still want the Ark, and to find Eva, they are both being loaded in the same truck headed for Cairo."

"Truck?" Marion questioned.

"Eva's alive?" Indiana's voice held a one of relief that he had never though he would utter.

They settled on a dune hear the truck procession. Indiana watched as they drug Eva out of a tent, bound and gagged with her hands behind her back. He turned away and spoke to the other two. "Get back to Cairo. Get us some transport to England… boat, plane, anything. Meet us at Omar's. Be ready for us. I'm going after that truck."

"How?" Sallah sounded worried for his friends.

"I don't know. I'm making this up as I go," he said leaving them.

Indiana found a horse tacked and ready; he jumped on and galloped out of there, following the truck that held the Ark and Eva. When he caught up with them he ran the horse down a slope and jumped onto the truck that held what he was aiming for. He opened the door of the cab and threw out the passenger. He then wrestled with the driver for control.

After running over some men who were constructing a building Indiana turned to the driver and smiled at him. The driver smiled back and laughed a second before Indiana punched him out of the cab. Indiana sped up the truck and bumper pushed the car ahead of him out of his way.

The car kept speed with him and eventually made its way back in front of him. The car behind him attempted to catch up to him on the side, but he ran them off the road into a ditch. He easily did the same to a motorcycle and sidecar on the opposite side. The car returned, but the motorcycle did not. Indiana fixed the car by running it off the canyon wall.

Eva sat in the back calmly as the German soldiers climbed onto the sides of the trucks outer covering. She knocked herself on the back of the cab in hopes of catching Indiana's attention.

Indiana spotted the men on either side of the truck and swerved in attempts of brushing them off with the trees that now lined the roadway. He was successful with one side but it took him a few tries with the other. Another knock told him there was at least one more German coming from the back. Before he knew it he was shot in the arm just as he kicked the passenger door open. As it swung back he kicked it again, breaking one hinge off. The German hung there dragging on the ground like a doll as he tried to get back up. He eventually fell off.

Another knock. "Damn these guys just don't stop coming." He thought out loud looking from left to right trying to see how many were left. He was roughly shoved to the passenger side of the cab before getting hit in the arm he was shot in three times and getting thrown out the front window. He attempted to hold onto the grill of the truck but the bars snapped off from the top and bent back easily.

The car shifted gears and Indiana found it easier to go underneath the truck, using the rigging as a ladder. Using the hand end of his whip as an anchor, he grabbed the tail and dragged out from under the truck. Eva saw him and attempted to get close fast and helped him up.

Indiana undid her gag. "Are you all right?'

"Am I all right? Are you all right?" She questioned as he cut the ropes around he wrists.

"They didn't hurt you did they?"

"I'm a little bruised but I'll be ok," she said moving her hair out of her face, showing him the entire left side of her face was a sickly green from a nasty bruise.

"You call this a little bruise?"

"Tiny. Now who's driving this thing?"

"Give me five minuets before you come up."

He climbed out to the side of the truck and kicked the driver in the head. He moved the driver to the passenger seat and threw his head into the dash three times before punching him in the face and throwing him out the front window. Not to long later the truck ran over the German driver.

Indiana sped the truck to push the back of the car ahead of him so that it crashed into the ditch. Eva slipped into the passenger seat and turned to him. "My week has sucked how 'bout yours," she asked him lightly.

He looked back at her, somehow unable to find it in him to be even the slightest bit angry with her for trying to joke with him. He began to laugh and she joined him. He told her of what had happened as he drove them into Cairo. When they met up with Marion and Sallah they had found transportation to England via boat. Sallah was making some of the more finely detailed arrangements.

Indiana walked over to Sallah with his arm around Eva. Marion stood on the other side of Eva holding her hand. Sallah shook Indiana's hand and spoke to them. "Everything at last has been arranged."

"The Ark?" Eva asked.

"Is on board. Nothing is lacking now that you're here. Or what is left of you." Sallah laughed at the trio's appearance.

"You trust these guys? Indiana asked skeptically.

"Yes." Sallah turned in the direction of a man who had their backs to them. "Mister Katanga." The man turned around and walked toward the light, revealing himself to be an African. "Mister Katanga, these are my friends. They are my family. I will hear of it if they are not treated well."

Katanga stood attention and said, "My cabin is theirs." He moved closer to Indiana and spoke again. "Mister Jones… I've heard a lot about you, sir. Your appearance is exactly the way I imagined." Sallah looked back to Katanga and both men began laughing.

Indiana made his way to Sallah. "Good-bye."

They embraced and Sallah squeezed bit hard. "Look out for each other. I am already missing you." He then released Indiana.

"You're my good friend."

"Sallah," Eva stepped up to him and took his hands in hers. She kissed him on the left cheek, "That is for Fayah…" again on the right, "that is for your children, and this is for you and my godson," lastly on the lips. He stood there looking at her as she pulled back and was steered onto the ship. The last the three heard from him was him singing A British Tar from the play The HMS Pinafore.


	8. Chapter 8

The Boat, The Island, and The End

Katanga had to himself two separate cabins. Eva insisted on taking the smaller of the two. "No, Eva, you can bunk with Jones," Marion attempted to get her and Indiana together knowing that one, she herself couldn't take care of him and two, the two of them were completely in love with each other. How the other one seemed to miss it was beyond her.

"Nah, I don't need to bunk with Indy, I've done it plenty of times in the past." Eva sighed. "Besides, he's got eyes for you only."

"Yeah, sure." Marion wrapped a blanket around her shoulders over the light pink nightgown that Katanga had lent her.

"Here, take this for Indy." Eva handed her a bowl and a few cloths. "Make sure he gets washed up."

"Sure thing. Goodnight."

Eva closed the door behind her friend. The next morning she noticed that the engines had stopped. Getting dressed and going out of her cabin she was followed by Indiana as he left his.

"You sleep all right?" He asked her with a tinge of regret in his voice.

"I was out all night, felt like the first time in a month I slept well," she said not letting him know that she had heard him and Marion last night. "I'm blaming you. I need a vacation when were done here."

"Yeah, where do you want to go?"

"Florida, there are a lot of good looking guys there and I know a few people who throw great parties. You're not invited."

"You wound me."

"You'll live." They made their way to the helm where Katanga was finishing with giving out an order to the engine room. "What's happening?"

"We have most important friends," Katanga said throwing a thumb over his shoulder to a U-boat.

"Holy shit," Indiana said pushing Eva softly to follow Katanga.

"Now what, smart guy?" Eva's sarcasm was evident in her voice.

"Go hide. I'll get Marion and we'll wait it out."

Eva sighed and shook her head as Indiana left. "I am so screwed aren't I?"

"Very likely Fraulein Williams," a German accent spoke behind her.

"Oh hell."

Indiana hid in the exhaust shaft that just barely looking over the edge he saw Marion and Eva taken aboard the submarine, Marion still in her nightgown. He jumped into the water and boarded the sub without being seen.

When they reached their destination he was the first off the sub. Hiding in the shadows he waited for an officer to become distracted only to find the uniform ha took was too small. Knocking out another officer, one higher up, he followed the battalion up the mountainous path ways carrying a bazooka.

"Hello!" he called out pointing the bazooka at the Ark.

"Jones?" Belloq was surprised at Indiana's appearance there. "Jones!"

"I'm going to blow up the Ark, Rene."

Marion and Eva attempted to run to him, Eva getting a bit farther than Marion due to her wearing pants.

"Your persistence surprises even me," Belloq motioned to the Ark with his hat. More quietly he added, "You're going to give mercenaries a bad name."

"Doctor Jones," Detrich spoke up from behind Belloq, "surely you don't think you can escape from this island."

"That depends on how reasonable we're all willing to be. All I want are the girls."

Detrich looked back at Belloq who shook his head. "If we refuse?"

"Then your Fuehrer has no prize."

"Ok stand back," Belloq moved all the soldiers guarding the Ark away from it. "All of you, stand back. Okay, Jones. You win. Blow it up." The soldier began to surround the Ark again. Belloq took a gun, armed it and pointed it at each of them. "Stay back! Yes, blow it up! Blow it back to God. All your life has been spent in pursuit of archaeological relics. Inside the Ark are treasures beyond your wildest aspirations. You want to see it open as well as I. Indiana… we are simply passing through history. This…" he said toughing the shroud that covered the Ark, "this is history." He paused a moment before continuing, "Do as you will."

Indiana looked conflicted for a moment before he lowered the bazooka. German soldiers surrounded him and brought him with the group to the Alter. Marion and Indiana were tied to a light pole near the back while Eva was dragged up to the front and tied to another light pole, and the ceremony began.

Belloq blessed the Ark in Hebrew before the lid was taken off. Detrich took off his glove and let the pieces of the tablets sift through his fingers. Indiana watched on with a forlorn look on his face as Eva screwed up her eyes as tough she were in pain.

A high pitched squeal erupted from the picture recording machine as it blew up. A howling wind began to arise around the Alter and all the lights exploded.

The inside of the Ark began to glow, sending out streams of light. Indiana spoke to Marion. "Marion, don't look at it. Shut your eyes. Don't look at it no matter what happens." He faintly heard Eva as she spoke prayers of protection over herself, him, and Marion.

The wind blew harsher and the sounds grew louder. A few minutes later the sound stopped and the wind died down.

Indiana opened his eyes and noticed that the ropes that bound them to the pole were cut clean. He pulled Marion to him to steady her. "Marion?"

"I'm ok."

Indiana nodded and sped over to Eva who had collapsed to the ground when her bonds were cut. Kneeling in front of her he pushed her hair out of her face. "Eva, you alright?"

She slowly opened her eyes and looked around before nodding and looking at him. "Can we go home now? I think I've more than earned that vacation."

Indiana smiled and helped her up. "Hell your whole vacation will be on me."

"Thanks Indy," she said hugging him.

The meeting with the Army Intelligence did not go so well.

"You both have done your country a great service, and we thank you and we trust you found the settlement satisfactory." The larger man said.

"The money's fine," Indiana began before Eva cut him off.

"The situation's totally unacceptable."

"Well, gentlemen, lady, I guess that just about wraps it up."

"Where is the Ark?" Marcus sounded more annoyed at the lack of information.

"I thought we'd settled that. The Ark is somewhere very safe."

"From whom?" Indiana questioned

"The Ark is a source of unspeakable power and it has to be researched," Marcus said his tone growing more frustrated.

"And it will be, I assure you, Doctor Brody, Doctor Jones, Doctor Williams. We have top men working on it right now."

"Who?" Eva sat forward in her chair to try and intimidate the larger man.

He only looked at her and said, "Top men."

Indiana and Eva walked down the steps of the museum where Marion was waiting for them. "Hey, what happened? You two don't look very happy."

"Fools," Eva spoke harshly.

"Bureaucratic fools." Indiana helped her with her coat before putting on his hat.

"What'd they say?" Marion followed them down the steps.

"They don't know what they've got there," Eva turned to her fried and to look back up at the museum offices.

"Well, I know what I've got here." Marion said looking at her two best friends. "Come on." She said hitting Indiana on the shoulder. "I'll buy you both a drink."

"Nah, I've got plans." Eva said looking further down the stair way to see a slightly older man waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. "But maybe some other time. By the way, Indy I now have no need for a vacation just yet." she finished looking back at them. Eva left the two of them standing on the stairs watching her go.

"Well, what about you?" Marion turned back to Indiana who had his head hung in sorrow. "You know?" she tipped his hat up. "A drink?"

Indiana faced down the stairs and offered his arm to Marion. _"__Well__if__I__can__'__t__have__the__one__I__want__I__'__ll__settle__for__the__next__best__thing,__"_ he thought as he led Marion out of the museum.

AN: I know. I'm a horrible person but it has to be done if what I want to happen is to happen.

Peace and Shiny!


End file.
